1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mode selector device of a recording/playback apparatus such as a VTR and a tape recorder and, more particularly, to a mode selector device for selecting the tape stop mode and the tape drive mode.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a recording/playback apparatus with a remote control system or feather-touch buttons, for allowing a pinch roller to tightly contact a corresponding capstan, a mechanism has been widely used in which the pinch roller is directly attracted by a plunger/solenoid. Although a mode selector device with the mechanism of this type is simple in construction as a whole, a number of large plunger/solenoids must be used, so that the space occupied by the large plunger/solenoids is increased to render the mode selector device large in size and to increase power consumption. Therefore, a portable or compact mode selector device cannot be manufactured.
In order to eliminate the above drawback, a device has been recently proposed which has a compact plunger/solenoid as a selecting means for storing the rotational force of the capstan or the like as the driving force and for switching the driving force to separate the pinch roller from the capstan or to allow the pinch roller to come in tight contact with the capstan upon deenergization or energization of the compact plunger/solenoid. However, in most of the conventional mode selector devices of this type, the switching operation and the storing operation of the driving force are simultaneously performed while the magnetic tape is being driven. A load on the capstan is thus increased, so that the selecting operation is time-consuming and the capstan is unstably rotated, resulting in irregular tape travel. That makes assemble editing difficult to perform.